What does it take to cover this monster of a trade show?

CES 2013, that giant, tangled web of a consumer electronics show, is in the rearview mirror, and the Ars Technica crew was there to cover it. In its aftermath, we took some time to think about what makes this giant trade show useful, and we talked about the ways in which it has changed in recent years.

On this episode of the Ars Technicast, Reviews Editor Florence Ion and Associate Writer Andrew Cunningham share their CES stories with Senior Apple Editor Jacqui Cheng and Social Editor Cesar Torres. With the absence of Microsoft from the event, the show brought increased focus on the latest gadgets and electronics makers.

We also talk about what happens when journalists get to play a little bit on the Vegas strip. And inevitably, we discuss the weirdness of the Qualcomm keynote as well as the notorious Internet fridge.

Cesar Torres / Cesar is the Social Editor at Ars Technica. His areas of expertise are in online communities, human-computer interaction, usability, and e-reader technology. Cesar lives in New York City.